There isn't going to be any background checks. The same government burueacrats who rubberstamped laughably bogus 9-11 hijacker visa applications will be rubberstamping the millions(?) of Guest Worker applications.
We enforce immigration laws to some extent. We just don't have nearly enough officers working in this area to handle the case load. That's also true for many other types of crimes. Look at all the wild driving and speeding that happens every day on the highways (often with fatal consequences.) There are all kinds of criminals running around who've committted unsolved crimes because there aren't enough cops to investigate all the crimes. But I agree that it's time to tighten up on border security and make sure we know who's coming in here to work and make sure we run a background check on all guest workers and keep the criminals and terror suspects out.
Statistically, we're not enforcing immigration laws to any extent. We're enforcing the border, somewhat, but interior enforcement is virtually non-existent. In 2002 only 13 fines were levied against employers of criminal invaders. In 2003, they only fined 124 employers. We have over 20 million criminal invaders employed somewhere in the United States with over a million coming in every year. 13 or even 124 fines is statiscally zero when compared to the number of crimes committed. We also have only about 300 agents assigned for interior enforcement for the entire United States. Do you get it now?
I agree that we should tighten up border security and run background checks on all guest workers. But, how do we do that when they're already here. I'm not totally against a guest worker program, but we need to put our priorities in order. First, we need to secure the border. Second, everyone here illegally needs to leave and apply for re-entry. Third, a guest worker plan would insist that all applicants apply from their home country and submit to mandatory background checks, health screening, and they have to have a responsible sponsor in the U.S. who will pay for any costs that the guest worker incurs and can't pay. Fourth, if we can track every cow down to the stall in the barn anywhere in the United States, we can track every guest worker or anyone here on a temporary Visa. If they don't like that kind of tracking, then they can stay home.
Any guest worker plan that allows people who are already here to participate equally with those who have respected our borders and laws will not work and is a reward to those who have broken our laws and violated our sovereign borders.
Drive on down to Jacumba, California...one of the areas that human beings and drugs flows through like a river.
There you can gaze upon a fenced lot FULL of Border Patrol four wheel drive vehicles. Hundreds of them.
The problem?
No personnel to put behind the wheel.
And meanwhile, our elected 'leaders' pay lip service and nothing more.
There isn't going to be any background checks. The same government burueacrats who rubberstamped laughably bogus 9-11 hijacker visa applications will be rubberstamping the millions(?) of Guest Worker applications.